Saturday, December 29, 2007

Oh, I know...there's been lots of hits here and not a whole lot happening; but I am still here.

Christmas went well, though Mickey wasn't around to enjoy it with us. He ran off again and though a neighbor at the old house has seen him in the area, we've been unable to find him and he hasn't been hanging at the old house. I just pray that he has shelter and food and I hope he finds whatever he is looking for out of life. Now don't get me wrong...if someone calls, we'll go get him; but we've just decided to let this work its way out itself.

My thumb that Mickey bit me on, is healing slowly. Swelling is down but there is a hard knot/lump on the one side that the doctor will be looking at on Thursday (funny how he felt it should be looked at, but apparently not immediately). I've learned that going on the internet looking up medical things is not a good idea. I've developed almost every symptom of human rabies with the exception of "fear of water". Yeah, I know.....I can only hope that when the delusions set in, they involve Kevin Spacey. However, the thumb does ache and it causes aches in the whole hand.

I got an iPod Nano for Christmas from hubby. I haven't done anything with it yet, just teaching myself. He also bought me a red microwave & toaster, oh and a docking radio for the iPod. Also got nice things from friends and family.

WHEN A commotion erupted over the fact that the 48-foot white spruce installed on the Boston Common -- an annual gift from the people of Nova Scotia -- is identified on Boston's official website as a ''holiday tree," the city's commissioner of parks and recreation sided firmly with the critics. ''This is a Christmas tree," Antonia Pollak declared. ''It's definitely a Christmas tree."

At least that's what she told the Boston press. According to CBC News, on the other hand, she took a rather different line with the Canadian press: ''A lot of people celebrate various religious holidays but also enjoy the lights, and we're trying to be inclusive."

Meanwhile, Pollak's boss said he intends to call it a Christmas tree, no matter what it says on the City Hall website. ''I didn't write the website," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told the Boston Herald. ''If I had, it would have said Christmas tree." He must not write the mayor's weekly column, either. The current one is about the lighting of Christmas trees all over Boston -- yet not once does the word ''Christmas" modify the word ''tree."

And so it begins again -- the annual effort to neuter Christmas, to insist in the name of ''inclusiveness" and ''sensitivity" that a Christian holiday celebrated by something like 90 percent of Americans not be called by its proper name or referred to in religious terms. We all know the drill by now. Instead of ''Merry Christmas," store clerks wish you a ''happy holiday." Schools close for winter break. Your office throws a holiday party.

Sometimes the secularizing impulse goes to laughable extremes, as when the elementary school play is titled ''How the Grinch Stole the Holidays" or when red poinsettias (but not white ones) are banned from city hall. Sometimes it springs from clanging ignorance, as with the New York City policy that prohibited the display of Christian nativity scenes on public school grounds, while expressly allowing such ''secular holiday symbol decorations" as Jewish menorahs and the Muslim star and crescent. And some of it is fueled by anti-Christian bigotry or sheer misanthropic bile.

But mostly, I think, this attempt to fade Christmas into a nondenominational winter holiday stems from a twisted notion of courtesy -- from the idea that tolerance and respect for minorities require intolerance and disrespect for the majority. Better to call the company shindig a ''holiday" party, this line of thinking goes, than to risk offending the few non-Christian employees by calling it a Christmas party. Better to ban all Christmas carols from the school concert than to take the chance that a Jew or Muslim or Hindu might feel excluded. Better to remove the Christmas trees from all the dormitory dining halls because a single student complained -- as happened last year at the University of Illinois -- than to politely inform the student that the trees will be removed after the Christmas season ends.

''We're trying to be inclusive," says the Boston parks commissioner, explaining why the white spruce that was sent from Nova Scotia under a giant banner reading ''Merry Christmas, Boston" became a ''holiday tree" on her department's website. But suppressing the language, symbols, or customs of Christians in a predominantly Christian society is not inclusive. It's insulting.

It's discriminatory, too. Hanukkah menorahs are never referred to as ''holiday lamps" -- not even the giant menorahs erected in Boston Common and many other public venues each year by Chabad, the Hasidic Jewish outreach movement. No one worries that calling the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by its name -- or even celebrating it officially, as the White House does with an annual ''iftaar" dinner -- might be insensitive to non-Muslims. In this tolerant and open-hearted nation, religious minorities are not expected to keep their beliefs out of sight or to squelch their traditions lest someone, somewhere, take offense. Surely the religious majority shouldn't be expected to either.

As a practicing Jew, I don't celebrate Christmas. There is no Christmas tree in my home, my kids don't write letters to Santa Claus, and I don't attend church on Dec. 25 (or any other date). Does the knowledge that scores of millions of my fellow Americans do all those things make me feel excluded or offended? On the contrary: It makes me feel grateful -- to live in a land where freedom of religion shelters the Hanukkah menorah in my window no less than the Christmas tree in my neighbor's. That freedom is a reflection of America's Judeo-Christian culture, and a principal reason why, in this overwhelmingly Christian country, it isn't only Christians for whom Christmas is a season of joy. And why it isn't only Christians who should make a point of saying so.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

A police officer died this week in the line of duty as my previous post states. I didn't know him and he wasn't was of the deputies I work with, but he was assisting them.

The suspect stabbed to death his girlfriend, then took their 2 children and dropped them off at his parents house. Officer Nicholson arrived first as he was in the area, he was shot and found lying next to his cruiser. The suspect also shot at the State & County officers that arrived. He was finally apprehended when shot by one of our officers. The suspect is in the hospital under guard. He lived. However 2 families have suffered great loss.

When you work for a police agency, any death of an officer ANYWHERE is tragic...but when it hits this close to home, you pray alot and it hits you as if it were one of your own.

Officer Nicholson was only 25 years old. He had bought a ring to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

A Part of America Died

Somebody killed a police officer today.... and a part of America died. A piece of our country he swore to protect will be buried with him at his side.

The suspect who shot him will stand up in court with counsel demanding his rights,while a girlfriend and mother spend many long, lonely nights.

The streets where he worked was a battlefield too... just as if he'd gone off to war... though the flag of our nation won't fly at half mastto his name they will add a gold star.

Somebody killed a police officer today... it happened in your town and mine while we slept in our comfort behind locked doors a cop put his life on the line.

Now his ghost has the beat on a dark city street and he stands at each rookie's side a cop answered the call of himself gave his all and a part of America died.

Author Unknown

"We Remember the Officers"

We remember the officers who changed our lives,The men and woman who protected us day and night,People who respect for their dedication to the cause,For when faced with danger, they never even pause.

We remember the officers who always stood true,Whatever the color of uniform, brown gray or blue,With pride and integrity they say "To serve and protect",For the giving of their life, we offer our respect.

We remember the officers who we never really knew,Persons strong enough to answer the challenge are few,With heavy hearts we mourn the officers in eternal rest,There's more to these people than the badge on their chest.

By Brad Miller

Friday, December 7, 2007

I've learned alot about cat bites these past few days - you'd be surprised. Did you know that because a cat bite is normally puncture type wounds and because a cats teeth are so sharp they can go very deep and cause damage to bones, nerves and tendons? Did you know that a cats mouth harbors dozens of germs and bacteria and infection can start immediately?
I never knew this either, but I've been online alot reading. Mine is still very sore and swollen, but the swelling has come down some and I can move the thumb around without being in great pain. That's the one thing that amazed me...I was in so much pain. If you ever have this happen to you do the following:
1. Bleeding is good. It helps flush out some of the germs.
2. Peroxide is good. Pour it on the wound (don't dab with cotton ball or q-tip) it will penetrate down into the wound and start killing bacteria. I had been told at one time that peroxide was a bad thing and not to use it anymore, however, the hospital said that was the smartest move I made (well it was really my neighbor).
3. Wash the area with warm soapy water and wrap in a clean cloth.
4. Go to the doctors or ER immediately - don't wait.
The highest concern for cat bites is INFECTION; Tetanus is second and Rabies is last. Actually the Doctor told me that Rabies from a cat is very rare HOWEVER had I not known the cat nor known it's shot history there would of been no choice but to treat for that.
Yes - the hospital has to report any bite to Animal Control. "Needless to say Mickey is still living under a neighbors porch in the old neighborhood and as far as I'm concerned he can stay there."Okay, so I lied. What was I to do? We had a snow storm and the neighbor called and left a message saying "Mickey is on the front porch <at the old house> all curled up in a little ball, he looks cold. I took him a bowl of food over and he gobbled it down, now he's banging on the door trying to get into the house and meowing his head off."
What were we to do???? I mean, I know he's scared and doesn't understand. I also realized it was partly my fault because he doesn't like to be picked up and I tried when I was a block away from the car, plus I held his paws tight to prevent clawing which left him with only one defense."Needless to say Mickey is now at the new house sleeping under the Christmas tree."

Friday, December 07. 2007Kim wrote:Oh good! I'm so glad you went and got him! I'd keep him in for a good long time! I did know that about cat bites but only from working in an animal hospital.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Last week, Mickey vanished again. It seemed odd, after all he was going outside and coming back to the right house. What was the problem?

On my way home from work, I decided to go by the old house. He wasn't there but I did see him in the vicinity. He kept meowing at me and even let me pet him - all happy and purring. Then I picked him up.

Mickey has never been a cat that liked to be held and of course, he's stressed and scared due to the move. He's a cat, they don't understand these things.

We immediately got into a struggle and HE BIT ME!!!! Yes - he bit the hand that feeds him!

Needless to say Mickey is still living under a neighbors porch in the old neighborhood and as far as I'm concerned he can stay there.

As for me - I'm in pain, had to get a tetanus shot, on antibiotics, thumb is stiff and all swollen.

The doctor told me that close to 100% of cat bites get infected. Had I waited to morning, it would of looked a whole lot worse. Actually he said to expect worse before better. Course the bandage is keeping it in one position and now my thumbs all stiff.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

I'll admit it - I'm a computer geek!! I love computers and want to know everything there is about them. Today when I got off work I went to my parents to correct a problem Dad was having with his email. He meets me in the upstairs hallway all in a tizzy because now the internet wasn't working (which for some reason he blamed on me). Anyway, I walk in - unplug the modem, then plug it back in. It boots up and we have internet (yeah, it's nice when it's an easy fix like that). I then go into his email account and try all the things Netzero emailed me to try...now he has email again.

I go to the movies ("Enchanted" this time - very good) and when I get home I have a message to call my one sister. She needed something bid on at Ebay. I take care of that.

I'm not off the phone 30 seconds, when it rings and it's now someone I work with who's home computer is infested with viruses because the "trial version" anti-virus program her computer came with expired some time ago. Her's is still an issue that will probably require me to actually go to the house - but not tonight.

Really now.....

Friday, November 23, 2007

I've been extremely bad with my faith lately. So today I sat down and started a Bible study along with the "Thin Within" faith based weight loss program. Almost the same as "Weigh Down Workshop", but I just wanted a different read this time around. I wanted to purchase their materials from their website as well, but now instead of an online purchase they want you to call them for a discussion.....well, I'll just stick with the book.

I sat on the floor, spread everything out around me and began. The next thing I know Sebastian is right in front of what I'm reading. Give him the attention he is so craving, back to study. Now it's Sebastian and Mickey - I got through it but it was very difficult to do. Cats!!

Toby was laying on the couch asleep. I then noticed him whimpering and realized he was dreaming. What do dogs exactly dream about? Do they dream like us - things that don't make alot of sense? Or do they dream of past times in their lives? Since he was whimpering, it couldn't of been a good dream. I wondered if he were reliving a time when he was a puppy and was not in a good living environment....since he was a rescue and there was no information prior to his stint in the Humane Society...I had to wonder. Was he whimpering because the living conditions were bad, whimpering because he was taken from his mother to a strange place, whimpering because he was due for execution (got a reprieve when the rescue took he and his sisters from the Humane Society), whimpering being in another strange place, whimpering because people were choosing little puppies over him..... I had to stop thinking at some point, cause I was getting depressed!!

Though I've been off work all week, I feel as if I've done very little..... and I'm still doing nothing.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

So last night was the finale of the reality show "The Bachelor", it was to have the most shocking rose ceremony ever - and boy, this time they weren't kidding.

The Bachelor chose neither lady.....yep, right..rather than choosing one and breaking it off later as has happened other seasons, this guy chose neither of the final two.

Good twist, I enjoyed it - but in bachelor fan land, well..some people are really upset.

He led them on...

First, when you apply for this show there is more of a chance at rejection than love. Every woman that does not receive a rose at any point during the show is facing rejection and basically was "led on". Let's say he chose one of them, then the loser would of been "led on". We can't accuse him of being a jerk just because he honestly decided he wanted neither.

Never watch the show again...

Good. I hope you don't. These shows are for entertainment purposes, just like a regular sitcom. If you watch them with that in mind, perhaps you won't take it too personally.

Tonight will be the After The Final Rose. This was just recently filmed (last Friday). Rumor online has it that he'll finally propose. You know, you have to have extremely low self-esteem to go on one of these shows to begin with - you definately have no self-esteem if you accept a proposal from someone who rejected you on national TV. Let's hope that rumor isn't true!!!

Wednesday, November 21. 2007 daisymay wrote:after the finale rose the local news had jenni on. It was a good thing brad did not pick her,i believe it was a act on her part She said last night she was back with her ex and very happy

Wednesday, November 21. 2007Barbara wrote:Off topic, as I don't watch any shows of this kind, but as a fellow Kevin Spacey fan and animal lover, I want to wish you and your husband a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 19, 2007

I hate winter...I really hate the cold weather. That's really starting to happen now and the weather is staying that way, rather than bouncing back between hot and cold. The house seems to do well with maintaining a good temperature.

Yesterday Mickey made his first venture outside since returning home. He was out for about 2 hours, couldn't find him, was a little worried. But, when I took Toby out for a walk....Mickey came from the neighbor's yard and walked with us. Then he came back inside. Hasn't shown an interest in going out again. Although he's always been more of an outdoor cat, cold weather tends to make him more of a homebody. So perhaps this is the perfect time of year in teaching him where his new home is.

From the internet, it looks as though the old house has a contract on it. The neighbors say that it's been painted and new carpet was brought in...I had noticed that it looked as though it was being rewired (electrical that is)...so the sale didn't come without some fix it ups!!!

In the meantime, the new house is coming into shape and I'm down to a few less boxes to unpack.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I know everyone views things differently. I know everyone has different tastes. I know life would be boring if everyone liked the same things. I don't however understand why people have a tendency to be insulting.

My house is a perfect example. When giving tours I get the comments... "This is a cute little house" "This is a nice little house" "It's a good size since there are only 2 of you" Yes, everyone...I just bought a small house...if you think the house is cute or nice...is it necessary to add "little" to it??? Same with it being a perfect size for 2.

***Okay, I must admit I DID give one tour where the size of the house wasn't commented on - instead it was the carpet. The person said sarcastically "I love the carpet." I said "Really?" (actually it's the same brown carpet that was in the other house). They replied "No, what do you think?"***

We know the house is small, we know it was a downsize. I now find myself giving tours and emphasizing "This is our itty bitty bathroom" and such...just so people know I'm aware of it. It's not necessary to be reminded of it. And, no, I'm not ashamed of the house....but why is it necessary to comment on its size?

I happen to like this house. I don't feel the need to over extend my budget in order to put on "airs" for my friends or family. I can see no use for a 4-5 bedroom house with 3+ bathrooms, eat-in kitchen, formal dining room, living room, family room, laundry room, finished basement, and 3+ garages. I mean, talk about overkill!!! How do you clean a house that size?? But then I remember that alot of people with those houses are now in a crisis as their mortgages are skyrocketing due to the mortgage loan they chose to have a house that size. Yep, choosing to live over your means, has crashed on alot of people.

I know people who live in those types of houses and they are beautiful, but.... I never feel comfortable in them. You can walk in my house, prop your feet up and if you spill something...oh well, we realize accidents happen.

Downsizing has become a challenge for us. You'd be surprised how creative you become when you need some space. I'm going to share some of those things in later posts, but for now, let me tell you - you really don't need a large house. There's plenty of room in a small one, you just have to know how to utilize the space.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

I don't normally promote products, but when I come across one that seems so simple, yet so useful I can't help but want to tell everyone.

Remember when slow cookers (or as we called them "crock pots") became popular? You could cook a meal while at work and have dinner ready when you came in the door. Nice, simple, easy...that was until you had to wash it. Since the cord was attached to it and couldn't be submersed in water, you kind of had to have that part sticking out of the sink and aimlessly try to scrub the inside. Cooking was convenient, cleaning was not.

Then they invented the ones that that "crock" detached from the electrical part - HURRAY!! It made cleaning so much simpler. Though simpler, I still hated cleaning the crock, mostly because it was oval and didn't exactly fit nicely in my small sink. Sometimes it would sit for days (making the cleaning worse). I just hated cleaning the thing.

Now they've come up with slow cooker liners (pictured above). This has got to be the most incredible idea yet. You put one in, cook your meal, then pull the thing out and trash it. Take a clean cloth and wipe out the crock.

Can't get any simpler than that!!!

Sunday, November 11. 2007 jenny wrote:thanks for the product promo. I didn't know of anyone that has tried these and i'm a real skeptic about that kind of stuff but now I'll give them a try. Thanks cuz!

Friday, November 9, 2007

I got some good news today...the theatres I enjoyed going to so much that closed down a few posts back will be reopening this month. Don't know all the details yet, but I'm so very glad to hear this.

Work has been very busy. We're a person down due to surgery and another is out due to a family death. It's alot of work for 4 people, but being down 2 - well it's chaotic!!! And people don't think we do anything.....

You know when you walk into a room and everyone stops talking, so you know they were talking about you? That happened to me today. I personally don't care what anyone thinks of me...but since it happened at work and one of the people in the room (who was doing the talking) I consider one of my best friends, well....I do somewhat have a problem with that. I hate office politics, why can't people just come to work and do their work and leave???

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Mickey is also about 10 years old (6 months younger than Sebastian) . He's also Spunky's son, but from her second (and last) litter. There were 4 in that litter, a female that looked like Spunky and 3 males like Mickey. The female was tiny and petite, the males were 3 times her size (and never actually looked like little kittens). Mickey was the friendliest of the lot, so we kept him.

Mickey is a laid back cat, mostly enjoys being outside and is a hunter at heart. We usually find dead wildlife on the porch - anything from a squirrel, rabbit, bird, etc... He has never, however, bothered our pet rabbits or guinea pigs. It's like he knows.

For those that read here, or know me personally, you're aware that when we moved we were unable to find Mickey to move him with us. That search took a week, we then brought him to the new house and he was in much displeasure with constant meowing.

Back on October 4th (which was less than a week of Mickey being at the new house), while I was away at training, Mickey and Strat tore out one of the window screens at the house and left. Strat returned the next morning. Mickey didn't.

I had thought this post would make a good "in memory" for Mickey. But as it turns out, it doesn't need to be.
Yesterday, Mickey came home!!! It took him a month, but he found his way back across town to the old house. One of the neighbors called us.

When I got there he wasn't around, so I kept calling him and then I could hear his meowing coming from several yards away. He was running right towards me...but he wouldn't get close enough for me to pick him up. The neighbor brought out cat food, but he would still back away. I finally opened the screen door to the house and he went right to the door (he wanted inside), I was then able to pick him up and put him in the carrier.

So now we're at square one with him - he's wandering around meowing his displeasure - but this time the windows are shut!!! Toby seems happy to see him as well.

Despite his meowing, I know he's glad to be around us again...he's laying right at my feet as I write this. I had to use "Faith" as one of the categories of this post, because God answered this prayer and gave me the answer I wanted.

Monday, November 5, 2007

This is my Sebastian. Sebastian is close to 10 years old and is Spunky's son from her first litter. He was the shyest of 5 kittens (4 black, 1 gray) and well, no one took an interest in him, so we kept him.

Sebastian is my buddy. He is definitely my cat. He also must have vampire in his blood...not because he's a biter (he's not) but because the few times he decides he wants to go outside (he's pretty much afraid of outside for some unknown reason), he'll only venture out if it's pitch black. And if he's not back in by morning light...you won't see him again until it gets dark. We've never been able to figure that one out.

Sebastian spends alot of time laying on my desk while I'm "web surfing".

Sunday, November 4, 2007

This past week I went and saw 30 Days of Night. This was not your typical vampire movie. The vampires were the ugliest vampires I ever saw in a movie, and when they talked - it was subtitled. Though gory, it was mostly done in flashes, letting your mind take over.

You can't really relate to the victims in the movie as they make some stupid decisions...but you have to love those vampires!!! Danny Huston plays the vampire Marlow and is fabulous. Here he is in the best moment of the movie:

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Hubby found Spunky when he was working for a lawn care business. She kept hanging at the shop and he brought her home. Spunky is definitely his cat. She's about 11 years old.

She isn't particular fond of me, unless she's craving lovin' and he's not home. She has, however, become a little nicer to me since the move. Spunky and I do share one thing - that's just between she and I. When I boil off chicken for pot pie and such, she patiently waits in the kitchen, because once it's cooked and cooled off - while I pick the chicken off the bone, I throw her some pieces. It's kind of our "girl thing", since we're pretty much out numbered by the males in the house. It's our little quality time together.

But for the most part, Spunky is a cat. She's wants attention when she wants it and don't bother her any other time. She is probably the one cat that Toby doesn't go near too often. She is the mistress of her domain.

Friday, November 2, 2007

I've been a member of the Columbia House DVD Club for quite sometime. Yeah, I know...Wal-mart is probably cheaper, but every once in a while Columbia House does offer a good deal.

Back in September they offered the First Season of Saturday Night Live at a discounted price. With my "fun cash" I was able to get it at almost 1/2 the regular price. I ordered it. It never came. However, I had a bill for it.

I contacted them letting them know the item never arrived. They apologized, took the charge off my account and reshipped a replacement. HOWEVER, the replacement was at the regular price (double of what the initial one was). For some reason I couldn't get them to understand that the "replacement" should of been at the price I originally ordered.

Anyway, the second one arrived...I refused it, it went back. I noticed today that they do have my account at a zero balance and they've received BOTH shipments back (wonder where that first one ended up at?). I then noticed that it is on sale AGAIN, and with my fun cash, well....it's 1/2 price.

Friday, October 26, 2007

My cousin Chris and I often go to the movies. We love the movie theatre on Leitersburg Pike in Hagerstown. It cost $5.00-$7.00 to get in (depending on the time), we can get dinner (hamburger, chips and drink for $4.00 or hotdog, chips and drink for $3.00 - there's others but that's what I normally get) and then popcorn at the normal movie price. The theatre is not a new stadium seating one, but rather one of the older ones. There's two large theatres and 8 smaller ones. We go at least once a week.

Chris had a birthday this month and her co-workers went together and got her a $60.00 gift card from there. We went to the movies last Sunday....we had missed a few weeks due to our schedules, and was rather surprised that only 6 movies were showing and none were newer ones. We opted for a locally done "Night of the Living Dead" (which by the way was also showing) rip-off called "Deadlands" (don't bother).

We, of course, questioned the staff on the movie choices and they said they were told there'd be new ones out on Friday (remember this is Sunday). We noticed no posters hanging in the outside holders, which led me to believe they were ready to shut down...but we were assured new movies were coming.

On Tuesday, I get a call from Chris. One of her co-workers has a friend involved at the theatre. Apparently the staff were informed on Monday, that the theatre would be closing on Thursday. Chris, of course, still had money on her gift card, but according to this co-worker's friend it was unlikely that she'd get any money back at this point. We decided to go to the movies on Wednesday and use what was left on the card. Our only choice (since no newer movies were showing) were movies we had already seen, we opted for "Night of the Living Dead" since we've never seen it on the big screen.

We arrive at the theatre on Wednesday evening. Parking lot is empty and few lights are on. It immediately became apparent that the theatre was closed. There were a couple cars parked at the doors.

Chris gets out and says she's going in to get her money for her card. She comes out a few minutes later waving me to come in. The owners of the building were in there and are old friends of mine (they were not the ones running the theatre, it was being leased). They assured her, she would have a refund within a few weeks (even though it wasn't their place to do it). They proceeded to tell us that THEY had just found out that morning that the theatre was closed. The person left owing them quite a bit of money and they have 2 new projectors that will need sent back. It was quite a mess. Right now the status of the theatre is unknown.

After some non-movie related chit-chat we left and went to dinner, quite disappointed that we will now have to go to one of the "expensive" theatres to see movies.

****Stopped by the old house to look for Mickey. No sign of him. Neighbor said she's been looking but hasn't seen him, neither has the guy that lived behind us. There was no dead wildlife on the porch, so it was determined he isn't in that area.****

Saturday, October 20, 2007

For those that have been asking, no there has still been no sign of Mickey and I'm beginning to adjust myself to the fact that there may never be.

The only sighting we do know of is by our next door neighbor. She came over one evening to introduce herself and during the conversation of "cats"(there are many strays in the neighborhood), I mentioned what had happened. She DID remember seeing a cat that fit his description one day, but that was it. Apparently, just about everyone feeds the strays, so if he's still in this neighborhood - he's well fed.

Neighbors are watching for him at the old house (which by the way hasn't sold yet - thought that realtor could sell it within 2 days, there was a waiting list for that area???).

Friday, October 19, 2007

I'm a huge horror movie fan. I love the edge of the seat, hide your eyes thrill they can give you. My all time favorite is the original "Night of the Living Dead" - that movie just creeps me out. What I don't like is the horror movies that rely on "let's come up with the goriest death ever" scenes - you know the slashers. Sometimes just the thought of what's happening is more horrifying then actually seeing it. It's the imagination that makes these movies so thrilling.I really like the original movie "Halloween". Though considered a "slasher" it is not quite as bad as all the others that came after it (and I absolutely hate Parts 2, etc... of these types of movies, gets old after a while). Anyway my cousin Chris and I go to the movies often and there wasn't much on so we decided to go see the new remake of "Halloween".The great thing about the original is you have this seemingly small innocent 8 year old boy from a good family that one Halloween while dressed as a clown stabs his sister to death. You then see him standing on the front of the house, bloody knife in hand, parents arriving home........ what went wrong there??? You never really know, that alone makes it creepy - what would possess an 8 year old to do that??? In the later films they'll weave a connection between Michael Meyers and the part played by Jamie Lee Curtis; but in the first one that hadn't happened yet (I don't even know if the writers had thought of it yet).In the remake, they leave nothing to the imagination. You get all the background on Michael - family was very poor (but for some reason had an in ground pool in the back yard), stepfather was mean, older sister teased him, kids at school teased him and beat up on him....(you know the story). The actor playing young Michael looked about 13 years of age, and looked more like a bully himself rather than the victim. He goes berserk and kills more than his sister that evening. Then you have to watch him through the years of therapy and such....then the movie starts coming in with current day and follows pretty much what the original does other than it pulls that "family" connection into it. With this one, you understand why he may of did it....don't know about you, but that takes all the creepiness out of it for me.In my opinion...they took a perfectly good classic horror movie and made it into a piece of crap. Save your money!

Monday, October 15, 2007

During an interview last spring, Kevin Spacey made the comment "People are just dumb." I've learned this quote is so true.

Recently someone chose to post on one of the guestbooks at a fan site in regards to Kevin's trip to Venezula and his next stop being Cuba. They ,of course, were appalled, were never going to be a fan again and stated it was illegal for Americans to go to Cuba. That was news to me.

I looked it up and she was right, however, further investigation led to all the "exceptions" to the law and actors fell under one of them. I copied and pasted that information.

You guessed it, she posted back that I was "just making excuses for Kevin by stating he fell under a special category". So I posted back stating that the information was from the official government website and I was not making excuses but stating fact.

So what do you think her course of action was? Educate me with more information? State why she felt his visits to these countries were so terrible? Ignore it? Nope, she had no course of action but to sling mud - she didn't care, I was still only making excuses for Kevin but then everyone needs a hobby; she wouldn't engage in battle with an unarmed person (yeah, I didn't get it either...we weren't in battle and I was armed with FACT) and then ended with "your village called, they miss you" (yeah, I know- a saying that makes no sense cause she got it wrong). Basically, she was calling me and the official government website stupid because we proved her wrong (well not entirely, she was right about it being illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba).

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Well I'm at the resort in this very nice luxury room with a KING SIZE BED - all to myself!!!!

We had to downsize to a queen size for the new house and last night we slept with Toby, Mickey and Strat - it was a crowded night and I didn't sleep well, so I'm really looking forward to sleep tonight.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Well the adjustment period has officially started. Hubby found Mickey today and brought him home. He has expressed his displeasure almost continuously with meows. He hasn't attempted to run out any doors, but Strat has. It's going to be a long first few weeks.

Despite all the boxes, I'm off to Winter Green Resort for 3 days of training. I attended this last year and loved it. It is such a nice place. It's right on the top of the mountain in Virginia and the views are breathtaking.There is an internet connection, so I'll be able to post or such if time permits!!!

Monday, October 1, 2007

So I guess that we have everything in the new house. We hit the deadline last night and were just throwing things in boxes and bags. We also trashed a lot of stuff and I can't help but wonder if we'll be looking for any of it at a later date - lol!!! It was just late, and we were very tired. I must also add that hubby and I did the moving all by ourselves. His son helped with some heavy objects earlier in the week, but it was mostly us.

Spunky, Sebastian and Strat arrived last night. Strat does pretty well but he wants outside; Sebastian is slowly moving around taking care with each step. Spunky has chosen the basement as her domain for the time being - which is good as that's where the litter boxes are. Unfortunately, we've been unable to locate Mickey. He's mostly an outdoor cat and frequents in and out of the old house at his leisure. I think the upheaval at the old house has him in hiding. I'm going to drive by the old house around the time I normally would be getting home from work and see if he's there then (he's normally laying under the front bush). The neighbor lady is watching for him and has food sitting out. I'm not too worried about him as he's so self-sufficient and if necessary the neighbor lady will take good care of him....but....he is my cat and part of the family and I'd really like him to be here!!!

Cable TV was the nightmare....as my last post indicated everything got hooked up, but we were having problems with the service. Not major problems, but annoying ones...for instance, Comcast On Demand was not working due to a communication error and the Channel Guide all said "To Be Announced". Customer Service was no help...more signals were sent to the TV then you can imagine - none doing anything. One guy told me that the work order had never been closed and I would have to call back the next day. Sunday morning I called again and they agreed to send a technician out. As soon as I hung up the phone - all of a sudden I had Comcast On Demand and a Channel Guide showing the TV shows. Hmmmmm.......I then realized that all the lower channels (2 - 25) where you normally find the major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CW) were all out of whack. In other words ABC wasn't at the channel it normally is, etc... Now I couldn't believe they changed a channel line-up overnight. Anyway prior to the technician arriving, I received a call from Comcast wanting to know if I still I had a problem. I explained the new problem to the girl....she pulled my account and guess what??? They had programmed me wrong....she reset the box and everything was normal. So the service call was canceled. Whew......

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Moving is very tiring. You never realize how much you've accumulated until you move. The guinea pigs arrived last night, the rabbit today and the cats will arrive tomorrow. Toby moved in last night with us. We still have some things to get from the old house...I'll be so glad when all things are in one location.

Had the cable & internet hooked up today. There was a cable wire already in the living room, however, the cable guy insisted on running all new wiring, he also insisted that under no circumstance was a splitter being used on any of his cables. He didn't care what all the other technicians have done, he does it correctly. He did soften up after awhile...but if he's any indication of their customer service - well there's issues.... Although the internet works great, I cannot access Comcast On Demand and and the online channel guide all says "To Be Announced", the channels work though. So far their customer service has been very unhelpful. Actually, he's the only technician that I've ever dealt with that left prior to making sure everything was working properly - he just said it would eventually all work??????!!!!!! Last customer service rep told me to wait 30 minutes, unplug the box for 30 seconds and try again.....

Saturday, September 29. 2007 stratcat43 wrote:I've talked to customer service THREE times today....one claims it'll straighten itself out within 24 hours....another tried to "ping" it but it didn't help, the last one said it's because the work order wasn't closed out but he was unable to get dispatch. He suggested calling tomorrow during down time to get it done.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A few months ago I was reading the Reader's Digest and they listed an online group called Freecycle . These are Yahoo groups where people offer items for free that they no longer want, thus the "free" in the name and "cycle" meaning recycle. The object is, of course, that instead of cluttering up the landfills with items - recycle it to another person.

If you go to the site (click on the Freecycle in the first paragraph), it will lead you to groups in or around your area. I chose to sign up for my local one as well as some neighboring ones (as most people do I've noticed). I had actually forgotten about them, until we started to move. We had this huge Sectional Sleeper Sofa that just was not going to fit in the living room at the new house, plus it was old, stained and the cats had clawed the one end to death...however, it was comfortable and I thought maybe someone may use it for a hunting cabin or in a basement. So I took the chance and posted it on the site. I'm not lying when I say that within 30 seconds, I had an email from someone wanting it!!! And three hours later they were at my house getting it.

Another posting allowed at Freecycle is if you're looking for a certain item. I noticed a posting for someone needing a full size mattress and boxspring...well we had one in the basement we weren't going to have room for. I emailed the person, she wanted it...we put it on the front porch and she picked it up today.

So I thought I'd share that site with everyone in the event you don't know it's there. And there are sites available in other countries as well, so for those not living in the U.S. you should check it out.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

No recipe today as all my cookbooks are at the new house in boxes. I should be completely moved in by this weekend.

My step-daughter *did* go back to college with the attitude to try to finish this semester. She's going to look for someone to take her place at the off-campus housing, as long as she pays to the end of the lease they'll remove her name from it, so in the event there's any damage, she won't be responsible. She's also thinking of dropping a class or two so she can catch up better in her studies. Time will tell.....

It's been a really weird day in "Kevin Spacey Fan Land" today. Apparently Kevin visited Venezuela and had dinner with President Hugo Chavez. This has caused horror in spaceyland. Some will no longer be his fan and are no longer going to post on his fan boards and there have been a ton of posts, by those that normally don't post on Kevin's board at imdb.com, are yelling "treason". Amazing how he's being "judged" (doesn't God teach against that?) and has been tried and convicted when there isn't any evidence of wrong doing. Actually a more detailed story surfaced this afternoon:

My take? Kevin is visiting Latin America; because of who he is - he's being giving the "red carpet" treatment; there was chit-chat about politics, the cinema-project and cacao.

Some feel that if he chooses to do a film there, he's doing nothing more than "greasing the palm" of a terrible person. Ummm.... this may come as a surprise to alot of you, BUT movies/tv have been filming all over the world for decades, and yes, even in countries that are ruled by dictators. Those countries do make money from it. I bet most of you have seen one or more of those movies without realizing it. If you feel so strongly against it...you should of spoke up long ago. Of course there is the fact that other celebrities are mentioned in the post and no one is asking for them to be deported.

Though I do believe in everyone's right to an opinion, and I do know most of the posts at imdb are just people trying to p*ss spacey fans off....I do think this whole thing has gotten completely out of hand - and why is it more newsworthy than the War in Iraq for example????

Another funny thing is he's doing a movie called "Recount" which is based on the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida. Someone at Legacy posted:re the whole recount issue...LET IT GO! This happened almost 8 years ago and people are still not over it?!

I thought "Let it go"? "8 years ago - still not over it"? With that philosophy we should:

Let go of September 11, 2001 (that was 7 years ago); how about we let go of: Vietnam, World War I & II, Korean War, Civil War, Revolutionary War, etc....... I can't believe anyone would make a comment like that - Let go of history????

None-the-less, I'm an American and a Spacey Fan. If that bothers you, read elsewhere.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Don't get me wrong with the title, I DO like kids and kids have a tendency to really like me; but when I've had all I can take of them, I like to hand them back to their mothers and go on my way. You can't do that when they're your's.

Had I gotten married in my 20's, I probably would of had children, but since I didn't get married until I was 36, well, I was kind of set in my ways and saw a child disrupting that. So I'm not a mother BY CHOICE (alot of people don't understand that for some reason).

However, the man I married does have two children from a previous marriage. They're grown now (ages 22 & 20). The oldest is a boy - he has his own apartment, works full-time, pays all his own bills. We had alot of problems with him during his teens (drugs, wrong crowd and such) but some tough love got him back on his feet. We tried the "help" way first, it made things worse. Some people just have to hit rock bottom to be able to get their life together.

My step-daughter just started her sophmore year in college. Though only in school for less than a month, she by total surprise, showed up this weekend to tell us she hated it there and wanted to drop out. She's now claiming she didn't like it last year and didn't want to go back this year. She didn't tell anyone that because it was easier to just tell us what she knew we wanted to hear. She's depressed, she does nothing but lay in her room at school and cry, she has no friends there, the classes are hard and unnecessary, she doesn't have a major, and she hasn't been attending classes....etc....

Let's back up to Freshman year at college. She had just started dating a local boy before leaving. She was home almost every weekend to see him or he went to college to see her. When we questioned her on whether that was necessary, the response was "But I love him and want to see him." So because she had to see him, she didn't do the things college kids do - hang out, go to sporting events, festivals, join clubs. She didn't socialize with anyone outside of her dorm room. During her freshman year she insisted she wanted to live off campus the next year with 2 of the girls she had met there and was friends with. We were all against this, but then gave in.

She comes home for the summer, works, is happy. In August she broke up with her boyfriend but immediately found another.....now it's time for school again. And guess who visits not just on weekends, but any chance he gets?

You're not going to enjoy college if you can't let go of the hometown. You won't have friends at college if you CHOOSE to lay in your room rather than involve yourself in activities.

At some point during the discussion with the four of us (mom, dad, step-mom, step-dad) she got mad at what someone said and got up and left, and at that point no decision was made.

Between the four of us we decided to leave the decision up to her (why continue paying the money, if she won't attend classes?), however, if she chooses to drop out...then she'll be responsible for the remainder of the lease for her off campus housing (that's until next spring), her college loan, her cell phone bill, and car insurance. That seems fair.

What I would really like her to do, is finish this semester. Then transfer to one of the closer colleges where she can live at home. But right now, you can't tell her anything....loverboy is all that matters.

Monday, September 17, 2007

A good friend of mine died quite suddenly last week and the funeral was today. He was very well know and well liked in the community and I've known his wife for most of my life (long before he even knew her). Because of the amount of people who knew him, his funeral was extremely large.

One of the eulogies read included the quote that is the title of this post. This friend said that when the two of them both moved to this area, an older gentleman befriended them and that was one of the things he told them - youcan disagree without being disagreeable. He felt this was how Gordon chose to live his life, and I agree. I hope to meet more people like him. He will be greatly missed.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Well, as the sign says the house officially became our's on Friday, September 14th. We had a few home projects to get complete prior to moving anything in. One being painting and the other cleaning carpets. We finished the painting today.

The dining room in the house had dark brown paneling which continued back the hallway. Since the area isn't that large to begin with we chose to paint it white to open it up a bit. Here's before and after shots:

Again, this home was built in an era where "carpet" was considered the proper flooring for a dining room (???), I've yet t0 figure that one out. None-the-less, a laminate floor will go in here at some point.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

WHAT A GUY!!!

Going back to work this week was not good....not only is all my work backed up, but I had a terrible cold/sore throat all week as well and being my first week back from vacation really couldn't take off. So I had to work sick and infect everyone else.

Then there's the stress of the house buying business.....

So what a pleasure it was to get home today and find in the mailbox a note from Kevin Spacey thanking me for all my kind words regarding the play in New York. This was totally unexpected (as I have already received a thank you for the shirt). The card was extra special as it was totally handwritten and he addressed the envelope (his new thing is computer generated letters which he signs). So it was kind of extra special.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Next week at this time I'll be a home owner. Yes, next Friday is the closing date - FINALLY!!! Someone told me that house buying is one of the most stressful things you'll do and trust me, they weren't kidding!!! The financing alone has been a nightmare, but our current broker has told us not to worry - everything is fine and in place. I'm told that's pretty good to know this a week in advance, sometimes the financing isn't for sure right up to when you're ready to sign the paperwork.

There's lots of "terms" when financing a home. A "pre-approval" is no guarantee of the loan, it's just a letter stating what you can afford on a house and for the itty bit amount of financial information we have on you, we'll consider looking into giving you a loan. Our "pre-approval" (by several companies) was $400,000!!! Yeah, I laughed at that one too. We never would of been able to make the first payment on that one - and we wonder why the housing market is in such shambles???? This is why.

I really hated hearing "you're approved pending...." Ummm...if there's a "pending" then it's not approved. Maybe a better way would be to say, "Everything looks great so far, now on to step 2." The word "approved" shouldn't come up to the very end.

Right now, it's a buyer's market. That actually was good for us, since we weren't prepared to buy. We offered the asking price if they'd pay all closing costs. They took the offer. I was shocked at what closing costs are!!!! But both our realtor and their's considered this a reasonable offer. And it must of been. I guess alot depends on how fast you want to sell too - are you looking to make some money, or is it a piece of property you just need to get rid of. The latter was our case, the owner had died and the family was selling off the estate.

We have new "home project" plans for this house, so they'll be many blogs involving that!!!

Monday, September 3, 2007

V A C A T I O N - AGAIN!!!

This is the last of the vacation postings, just wanted to share some beach photos. We had a full moon one night and it was gorgeous, unfortunately I couldn't catch it with the camera very well (I really do need to read the manual). Enjoy!!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Below is the octopus, he (she?) was kind of stuck to the tank in the corner and hard to get a photograph of. Apparently it's very smart. It eats shrimp and they sometimes will enclose the shrimp in lego type blocks. The first time it took awhile to get the blocks apart, but the next time it only needed to pull away one block to get the shrimp!!!! (this was all told to us by a worker there, we didn't see it):

As fascinating as marine life is - that is one ugly form of life!!!!

Below is what is called Sea Dragons . They are beautiful and fascinating.

Here's an unpopular creature, but beautiful anyway...the brochure says they are mostly made up of water:

The Eels tend to hide in rocks (who can blame them???):

If you ever visit Myrtle Beach, make sure to stop by this aquarium located at Broadway At The Beach. And if you have kids - they'll love it!!!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Well, I'm back from vacation and everything went very well. It was much needed. We stay at a little family run hotel in South Myrtle Beach called the Mystic Sea :

Yes, it's sits between many large resorts and though it's nothing fancy it is clean and the staff are very nice.The weather was great the whole time we were there with only one night of storms. The days were very hot and the ocean water was very warm. It seemed the vacationers at our hotel were the "pick" for the jellyfish..one gentleman was stung by a very large one - he said he actually saw it - tentacles and all!!! There were three others that had the jellyfish encounter as well, we fortunately did not. This was the first year we were ever there that this happened.

I absolutely love stingrays, and they have a whole pool of them, there's even a petting pool!!!

Around the corner is the tank with no petting pool for obvious reasons - lol!!! I'm sure you're wondering (as I was) if the sharks eat the other fish in the tank.....they said sometimes that happens but rarely as they keep all the marine life very well fed.

The shark tank is very cool as it's huge and you walk through a tunnel and they're all around you!!!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

MOVINGWe close on the house September 14th. We have until November 1st to move out of the rental so we've plenty of time. Owner has promised us that there will be no "For Sale" signs or "House Showings" until we are completely moved out. This has somewhat upset the Realtor (same guy that appraised) as he keeps pressuring her to move faster. He even had the nerve to ask her to tell us to remove all small animals from the premises as that makes for bad selling....hmmmm...what part of "no for sale sign or house showing until we're completely out" did he not understand?????

I do hope, however, that she has not disclosed to him the price she offered the house to us. Here's a home buying tip to everyone out there....Don't pick the realtor who's photo is being shown with the house you want to see. Why? That realtor has already been contracted by the seller and therefore is selling with THEIR best interest in mind, not the buyer's. Find a realtor that will have YOUR interest in mind. That doesn't mean you can't use the same real estate office or that you can't look at any listings under your realtor.....but just keep that thought in mind - who were they working for first???

In my opinion, this particular realtor is pressuring because he already knows someone looking for a house in this area. If she's told him of the offers that she's made to us...that let's him know what she's willing to accept. See? He's already working with the buyer......

KEVIN SPACEYSome people are so behind time.....one of my co-workers walks in my office to ask a question this week and notices the photo of Kevin and I on my bulletin board. He says, "The guy in that picture with you looks just like Kevin Spacey." I said, "That's because it is Kevin Spacey." Where's he been???? He works with me!! One of the guys from the other division gives tours to people to my office to show that picture....some people need to keep up!!

VACATIONLeaving for vacation on Friday, heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They'll only be updates if I can get an internet connection. Our hotel is an older family run one and doesn't offer that service, but 2 brand new resorts were completed last year and are now open and sit right next to our hotel. If they have free wireless service, I may be able to get a connection.

Friday, August 17. 2007Kim wrote:YAY for you! Way better to own...better to pay money each month for something that is yours (or will be in like 30 years!) than to pay rent and have the place sold out from under you! So, when is moving day?Reply to this

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Okay, maybe the next one has some potential.....This one boasts central air, replacement windows, new roof, 4 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bath. Two of the bedrooms are in the finished attic.

As always, let's start outside:

With this one, we're giving up yard space. The yard is very small. There's a one car parking space in the back, but we decided that with the yard as small as it is to begin with, why not take out the tree and have 2 spaces back there. That's actually an alley that runs along side of the house. The neighbor told us that the city is very good about clearing that in the winter and that it doesn't get alot of traffic.

Well, it's a basement - we weren't expecting anything more.

I'm a kitchen person remember??? This particular one is a nice size, has red in the floor design (my chosen color for a kitchen), a new "clean" refrigerator and stove (though I'm taking my 2 oven stove with me) and <drum roll> a DISHWASHER!!!!! I've always wanted one of those!!! The kitchen was actually an addition to the house at some point, we're assuming what is now the dining room was the original kitchen.

This picture of the dining room is unfortunately fuzzy, not big - but we don't use the dining room anyway.

Below is the bathroom, very small but it's a bathroom..... next to that is the back bedroom on the first floor.

The living room:

The largest bedroom - first floor, right off the living room.

The 2 bedrooms on the upper floor. Low ceilings but we figured one could be my office and the other the guinea pig/rabbit room!! Love the hardwood floor in the first one.

Both of us said later that we noticed that each of us kept referring to this house as if it were our's already!!! So out of the 4 we looked at, naturally you know which one we chose!!!

Tuesday, August 07. 2007Liss wrote:I like the entryway. It gives a feeling of having a hall entrance to the house instead of opening the door and already standing in the middle of the living room. Which is what I do. I also like the windows in the kitchen. I only have one window over the sink that won't open.Reply to this

Wednesday, August 08. 2007Barbara wrote:Tell us more about the guinea pig/rabbit room and your pets! We are avid rabbit lovers, currently have a siamese sable Netherlands dwarf that we adopted last year from the House Rabbit Society.Reply to this

Wednesday, August 08. 2007Kim wrote:I like it, L! I was talking to your mom today at the church about what you two were gonna do. This house seems to mostly need a couple of coats of paint but other than that, it looks homey!Reply to this

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